The Princess, the Prince and the Dragon
by White Little Devil
Summary: AU: Nothing could stop Maleficent. This powerful witch aroused fear among residents of the Enchanted Forest for a very long time. When a young princess Regina decides to go out to the Forbidden Fortress she has no idea that she is a person who can put an end to her reign and tame the legendary dragon. In the meantime, the young prince James sets out to rescue his best friend.


**It's unbeta, so all mistakes are mine. Hope you'll like it.**

* * *

"I need your help," a girlish voice reverberated around like an echo as soon as a very beautiful black-haired girl entered to her best friend's bedchamber.

The owner of the room, a nineteen-years-old young man, almost fell of the bed when he heard her.

"Heavens, Regina, why you never knock?" he asked and rubbed his eyes. "I could be naked."

"So?" she shrugged as she took place on the edge of the bed. "It's not like I've never seen you naked."

The boy said nothing, just snorted. The girl loved to enter to his bedchamber without knocking.

"Anyway, is there a reason why you're in my room in the middle of the night?"

"I had a dream."

"A dream?... And it's why you decided to interrupt my sleep?"

"Yes, James, a dream. Or maybe I should say – a vision," the girl started. When she saw as her best friend raised his eyebrow, she added. "I rode a dragon. But it wasn't a normal dragon. It was Maleficent herself."

"Maleficent?!" The young man opened his eyes widely and for a moment forgot how to breathe.

Maleficent was a very powerful sorceress, who could turn herself into a dragon and was a real nightmare for the citizens of the Enchanted Forest. However no one was powerful enough to defeat her.

"Yes. And it's why I need your help, James," the girl looked around as if she was afraid that someone could hear them. "I have to meet her."

"Are you out of your mind?!" The blond-haired man got up from his bed and began to walk around the room, waving his hands in all directions. "You want to see Maleficent? She did kill a lot of innocent people and you want to _visit_ her?"

"Yes."

"No way. I'm sorry, Regina, but I can't help you. It's too dangerous and I won't risk your life."

"Please..."

"Not a chance. She's a villain, she's a freaking dragon!"

"She won't hurt me..."

"You can't be serious! She's a murderer!"

"I know she won't hurt me, I can feel it," the girl slowly got up from her place and walked toward her friend. Then she grabbed his hands. "Please, James, help me."

"You have no idea what you ask," he whispered very quietly and she had a problem to understand him. "I can't let you go. If someone finds out where you went, they'll tell your parents. And they will kill you, then me and then you again."

"They don't have to find out," she smiled slightly at him. "They took Snow to King Midas' kingdom with them. And Zelena is too busy preparing for the wedding so she won't even notice that I'm not where I should be. Please?"

"Regina..."

"You know that I will leave anyway," she interrupted him quietly. "And I'd like you to be on my side. Please, can you do it for me?"

Her friend said nothing, just stared at her for a few more seconds. When the girl almost lost her hope, he sighed and slowly nodded his head.

"Fine, tell me what I should do."

Regina smiled broadly and kissed him, before she threw herself on his neck. Then she started to introduce him to her plan.

* * *

She heard a lot of stories about the Forbidden Fortress and they all were not nice. However she was not afraid (yeah, right. Of course she was afraid. In fact she did not want to be here), because she was a girl on a mission. And nothing could stop her when she is on a mission.

Heavens, what the hell she just did.

She took a deep breath when she found herself in front of the gate and less than ten second later it opened in front of her. She almost had a heart attack when this happened, because it was unexpected, but slowly walked through it.

"I'm dead," she muttered when the gate closed behind her.

She was dead for two reasons. Firstly, if Maleficent kills her (although her presentiment says her that this will not happen) or if her parents find out what she did. Her older sister Zelena, the future queen, has never caused any problems and was pride and joy of their mother. Her younger sister, Snow White was the favorite of their father, being his little (albeit spoiled) angel. She on the other hand... well, she was the reason why the king turned gray so quickly. However she was the princess their people loved the most.

"What are you doing in my home?" she heard a voice behind her and it made her jump. She did not expect this. "And how on earth you entered here?"

"T-the gate opened to me," she said quietly as she turned toward her interlocutor.

In front of her stood a very beautiful blonde-haired woman. She was dressed in a black robes which only made that she looked even taller than she was. Besides mysterious yet dangerous sparks were visible in her eyes.

"You're lying," the woman barked and she stepped back a few steps. "The gate opens only for me!"

"There's a lot of things you may say about me, but I'm not a liar!" Regina said a bit louder than she wanted. Besides... she was lying. Not to Maleficent but to her parents. Great. So she suddenly became not only a liar but also a hypocrite. "The gate opened to me, how else I could enter here?"

Maleficent walked to her and before she was able to even blink, she grabbed her clothes. She swallowed quietly, when the dragon lady leaned dangerously toward her. Maybe James was right and she should stay in his castle.

"You still didn't tell what the hell you're doing here. And who are you?"

"My name is Regina," she had a hard time to catch her breath, because Maleficent held her too tight. "And..."

"So you're a princess," the owner of the castle interrupted her and smiled devilishly. "Did your parents didn't teach you that you shouldn't disturb the dragon? Especially the one who loathe the royal families?"

"How do you know who I am?" The girl was too shocked when she found out that the woman knew who she was that she did not care about anything else.

"Your beauty is quite famous in the Enchanted Forest," Maleficent pushed her on the wall and turned on her heel. "Just like your parents. King Leopold and Queen Cora, the rulers of the biggest kingdom in the realm. And now get out before I kill you."

"No."

"No?" The woman faced her again. "No? You foolish girl! Do you have any idea who I am? What I can do to you? Get out as long as you still have a chance!"

"I won't do it." To tell the truth Regina had no idea how she managed to say it. In her place, anyone would benefit from the opportunity to escape. "And I know very well who you are, but it seems that you don't know who you are!"

She hissed, when Maleficent slapped her across the face, because she was not ready for this. However, she deserved it. She should not say it. In fact she had no idea why she said it at the first place.

"How dare you come here and say such things!" The lady of the castle was furious and she knew that she just poked the dragon in its eye. "You'll regret it!"

Regina had no idea how it happened, but when Maleficent turned herself into a dragon, she raised her hands in order to protect herself and before she knew, she found herself in the mysterious room full of very old books. A moment later the owner of the castle appeared here, too, being in her human form. Before any of them could react, the oldest book in the room fell on the ground between them and opened itself in the middle.

Regina frowned, because she could not understand any word, while Maleficent only clenched fist. It seems that she is stuck with this princess and she cannot do anything about it.

* * *

"Just remember that you're always welcome here," the blonde-haired woman said quietly as she stood in front of the Forbidden Fortress and smiled at her friend. She still could not believe it, but when this little princess came here a month ago, her world turned upstairs down.

Because Regina – unaware of it – was her light. She was was a person who was foretold to change her. She was the girl who was destined to tame the legendary dragon. And she did, although she had no idea about this.

"You may be sure that I'll visit you, soon," she smiled back. She did not want to leave, however her parents will return soon, so she should be back before them. Especially that James told his father that she went to visit princess Aurora in her kingdom (and this, technically, was not a lie, since she _was_ in King Stefan's kingdom. However not with Aurora but with her mother's mortal enemy). And well, she missed her friend, too. Letters will not replace his presence.

"I know you will," the dragon lady nodded. "But now you should go. I don't need army of fools in my home, because their little princess was kidnapped by me."

The girl said nothing, just smiled even more and less than minute later she sat on her horse and was on her way back to king George's castle. Maleficent offered that she can take her there, but she said that she should return on Rocinante, as she came here.

But before Regina was able to leave king Stefan's kingdom everything went black.

* * *

"David! I didn't expect to see you here today!" he heard his mother's voice as soon as he arrived to his former house.

Because the truth is that his real name was not James, but David.

When he was born he had a twin brother, who was given to the king, because he and the queen could not have children on their own, but when he was a little child, his brother died. So he took his place and became a prince and the only heir to the throne. His mother moved to the castle with him, as his „nanny", but when he grew up, she returned to live on their farm. Because she preferred to live here than in the castle (not that he blamed her, he loved this place, too) and he visited her here a few times in a week.

"I know but... but I had to see you," he muttered as he walked toward her and hugged her tightly. The woman just frowned.

"What happened, my dear?"

James blinked in order to stop tears and bit his bottom lip.

"Regina is missing," he whispered a few moments later.

"What?... Heavens, what happened?!"

"She... she went to visit Maleficent."

"She went to visit _who?_ " Pure horror was visible on her face.

"She went to visit Maleficent," he said again. "But... she sent me a few letters and swore that she's nice to her. She wrote a week ago that she'll leave the same day. But... she never returned. And her parents should be back tomorrow."

Ruth closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"What on earth you two just did!" she hide her face in the hands and shook her head. "You must inform the king about this as soon as possible. Who knows what she did to this poor girl!"

"Mother, please..." James did not try any longer to stop his tears. "He can't know. Her parents can't know. They'll be so mad at her when they find out where she went!"

"Oh believe me, young man, that they should be!" The woman rebuked her son. "You both deserve to get a proper spanking for what you did. She, because she was stupid enough to go to this witch and you, because you let her go and said anything about it!"

"Just hear me out, mother," the prince started again. "Regina wrote that she was safe and I believed her. She had no reasons to lie. But if I tell the truth, king Leopold will send the army and Maleficent will kill them all. I want Regina to be safe, I really do, but they cannot know the truth. Please, mother, let me take care of it."

"Just remember that we're talking about the life of an innocent girl."

"I know, mother. And I won't let her down. I promise."

* * *

"MALEFICENT!" He yelled as soon as he found himself in front of the Forbidden Fortress, holding his sword as if it was the most precious thing in his life. He wanted to be everywhere, but here, but he had to know where his friend is. And nothing will stop him from saving her, including Maleficent herself. Because Regina's life is more important than anything. "I know you're here! Don't be a coward and show yourself!"

"I'm not deaf, dear there's no need to yell," he heard the woman's voice behind him. "And now tell me what are you doing here and why should I spare your life?"

"Where's Regina?" he asked and pointed his sword to her neck, much to her amusement. "What did you do to her?"

"So you have to be James," Maleficent smirked and pushed him to the ground by magic. "No one else knows that she was here with me."

"What do you mean by „was"?" he asked, clearly confused. Regina wrote that she wanted to leave this place, but since she never returned he thought that maybe the woman stopped her somehow. "Where's she now?"

"And why do you think I know? She left a few days ago, because her parents were about to return to your castle for her, soon."

The man opened his eyes widely.

"She never returned from her journey."

" _What?_ "

He had no idea what this tone meant, but most likely nothing good, that for sure. A moment later Maleficent grabbed his clothes.

"What do you mean that she never returned?"

"That she never returned," he said, because he had no idea what to say. "I told her parents that she didn't return from the visit in king Stefan's castle, but since she never was there, they began to look after her. It's just matter of time when the army arrive here and I wanted be sure that she's safe."

The woman pushed him on the wall and turned on her heel. She was mad. She was furious because someone dared to kidnap _her_ light. Someone dared to steal _her_ little princess and she really did not like when someone was taking from her what she loved.

"I hope you're not afraid of flying," she said a few second later and looked at him again. "Because we're going to find her."

And before James was able to say something, Maleficent turned herself into a dragon and less than two minutes later they were flying in the unknown direction.

* * *

 **To tell the truth I have no idea why I wrote it, but I hope it wasn't that bad.**

 **You may also find me on tumblr under _white-little-devil name._**


End file.
